This paper examines the semantics of the classical myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in the works of V.I. Ivanov. The literary function of the deviations from the canonical story that Ivanov introduced into the structure of the text is determined. The relationship between Ivanov's interpretation and Russian anthological lyrics of the nineteenth century is shown. We note the importance of the image of Orpheus in Ivanov's work and the typological closeness of Orpheus to the figure of Christ. The structural logic of the poem «Orpheus» suggests the appropriate stages of an initiation rite. This is confirmed by correlating the text of the poem with various initiation rites in the works of Van Gennep and Zhirmunsky . We analyze the specifics of the genre of the poems «Orpheus» and «Orpheus torn apart» as one of the principles of text antiquisation.
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